Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-01-18
ANTISEPTIC SURGERY.
PROGRESS MADE IN The ART
WITHIN A FEW YEARS.

Improved Methods of Surgery Which
Produce Astounding Results-HeaIing
of Wounds by First Intentian''-Se-
cessity of CIeanliness-Dressing.
Fifty years ago. on the minutes of the
Pennsylvania hospital in this city, especial
mention was made of the fact that an
amputated finger had healed by first
intention" that is, without the process
Of suppuration and granulation, which is
the usual mode by which tissues heal
At the present time ii is usual, and not
unusual, TO have an amputated leg heal
by the first intention as well as the
wounds made in the performance Of
nearly all major and minor operations of
surgery.
So rapid has been the progress in the
improved methods of what is known as
antiseptic surgery that many medical
men are astounded to hear Of the results
that are being obtained. and the general
public are not at all aware of the great
advances in the surgical art Indeed an
tiseptic surgery has been in its infancy
for less than dozen years, and has only
received its perfect application within a
few months.
In the human body there exists a repair
ative power by which the separated frag-
ments of broken bone are united and the
cut surfaces of wound are united. The
simplest mode of healing an open wound
is by the first intention or immediate
union,' for which surgeons have aimed
for hundreds of years. They had OBJ
served 1t in rare instances, and looked
upon it as possibility; but, as previously
stated, they seldom succeeded in getting
it, and the instances in which they did
get it were deserving of special note If
union fails by the first intention in
fiammation supervenes, and healing is ac-
complished by long and tedious process
of suppuration and granulation, requiring
several weeks or perhaps months for the
closure Of wound of any considerable
size. And this is always connected with
great drain on the vital forces. and dan
ger from blood poisoning.
THE MODERN METHOD.
What is antiseptic surgery? II CON
sists of certain precautions and appli-
ances for the exclusion Of the air and
with the air of the numerous germs Of
disease and putrefaction which float in
1t. and the application of a germicide,
which destroys the vitality of these germs
during and after operation The more
perfectly this is done the more likely will
there be procured the primary union. or
union by first intention Everybody
knows that cut of a finger, if promptly
tied up and kept at rest. will heal readily;
but il 1t he neglected and allowed to get
particles of dirt and the germs of disease
iptn { de- -, a.,
the injured member becomes painful and
swollen, discharges matter and is slow TO
heal Antiseptic surgery aims at the sim
plicity OF domestic practicable accurate
coaptation of the parts. provision being
made for the free discharge of secretions
from the wound and the seclusion of the
air and germs of disease. By the adoption
Of antiseptic measures the surgeon simply
follows natures indication. He puts The
parts in the best possible condition to heal
and nature does the healing.
The methods adopted in order to secure
this success are simple and but a little
more expensive, considering the first cost,
but infinitely less costly than the old way
of dressing. when consideration is made
for the time and waste of repeated dress
ings, and the lessened risk of blood poison
ing and death from exhaustion from pro
longed suppuration.
CLEANLINESS ESSENTIAL
The most essential clement in antiseptic
surgery is cleanliness The part to he
operated upon, or the point Of injury and
adjacent tissue, is first thoroughly
scrubbed with soap and "A fine brush. 1t
is then shaved TO remove hair and dead
cutaneous cells, and afterwards washed
with ether, to remove fat aud oily matter
1t is then washed with an antiseptic sOlu-
ton, and the operation is begun. A small
stream of the solution is PLAYED upon the
parts at short intervals as the operation
progresses. Every opening in the tissues
is washed out with this solution. The parts
are brought together with catgut sutures,
which have been rendered aseptic. and
these sutures are absorbed; consequently,
there is nothing TO come away Catgut,
being an animal tissue, is capable Of alb
sorption, and is used for hgaturing vessels,
sewing up the parts, and for drainage
For this purpose several strands are placed
in the deeper part of wound ana drain
by csQtilarity. After there are no further
secretions these are absorbed.
After the superficial opening has been
ClUoeu dBu the cages brought INTO close
opposition, a strip of protective" is laid
over the line of sutures. Over this is spread
n fold Of several thicknesses of gauze, an
tiseptically prepared, and busted thickly
on its surface with iodoform Over this is
placed cotton, also rendered antiseptic, and
the whole dressing is confined in place by
roller bandages. This dressing is put on
wet-all wet, and almost dripping with
the antiseptic solution. The dressing is
not changed, unless there is some sign that
all is not doing well, until proper time
has elapsed and it is known that the parts
have healed. Under these methods hos
pital gangrene and erysipelas are very
rarely encountered, and there is so little
discharge of pus that recently it was i'm
possible to get enough for sample for
exhibition to class at medical college.
This method, with slight changes in the
detail, is now employed at every good hos
pital in the country and by every surgeon
who is up with the imes.-Philadelph
North American.